Why is this a story? Why should I care about someone else's personal life?

Funny, those questions never seem to stop the millions who mindlessly devour the latest Justin Bieber or Miley Cyrus "news" on celebrity gossip websites or entertainment channels.

Why, of all the things to care about in this world, that type of nonsense becomes a story might be a better question to ask.

In Gordon's case, and in the cases of LGBT athletes everywhere, the real answers are two-fold.

Why should I care about someone else's personal life?

Truthfully, you don't have to care. You don't have to care about Gordon's sexuality or Michael Sam's or Jason Collins' or Brittney Griner's. There's no one tying you down into a chair, prying your eyelids open and forcing you to read about how Gordon staved off potentially-crippling depression and stayed true to himself.

You don't have to read the uplifting story of a man freed of a crushing burden. You simply don't have to smile along with Gordon as he lights up a room discussing the unwavering support of his friends, family and teammates in light of his decision.

That's a personal choice, even if the inverse relationship between apparent caring and story comments continually paints a different picture.

Why is this a story?

Because it's important. More important than many may choose to believe.

It's true that the day is coming when an announcement such as Gordon's won't necessarily be newsworthy. Or, at least, not necessarily newsworthy in the sense that it requires a press conference and a SportsCenter feature. That day, like a runaway locomotive, is coming harder and faster every day.

But even when it does, the importance of someone like Gordon coming out will remain. Because the LGBT in sports movement – all movements worth their weight, really – need a face. It needs Gordon's smiling face. It needs the faces of Collins, Sam, Griner and countless others to come. It needs lots of faces.

With a face, a movement can be humanized and grounded in reality. With a familiar face, a movement becomes relatable for even those who couldn't possibly begin to relate to Gordon's life-long struggle to be himself. Suddenly, the fight for equality and human rights isn't about someone else – it's about someone people care about, someone people admire and respect.

Maybe athletes aren't always perfect role models. But for someone out there – maybe someone you know and love – Gordon's decision to come out as gay may have just opened the door to new and better life.

Why is this a story? Why should I care about someone's personal life?

Because knowledge is power. Because with that power, lives can be changed and saved.

According to a 2011 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report, LGBT youth are four times more likely to attempt suicide as their straight peers.

Maybe, just maybe, the power derived from the fortitude and courage of those like Gordon will help a scared middle-schooler who's afraid to get on the school bus each morning because he can't stand to face the taunting bullies yet another day.

Or perhaps it'll help the frightened and confused teenager who won't go out for fall or spring sports because she doesn't feel safe in the locker room.

Why is this a story? Why should I care about someone else's personal life?

Because maybe it might have helped Jadin Bell, a gay 15-year-old boy from Oregon who was taken off life support in February 2013 after attempting to hang himself on an elementary school playground as a result of being bullied.

Because maybe it might have helped Jim Wheeler, a gay 19-year-old from Pennsylvania whose struggle with homophobic bullying was memorialized in a 2003 documentary titled "Jim in Bold" six years after he took his own life.

Why is this a story? Why should I care about someone else's personal life?

Because maybe it's not too late. Maybe Gordon's decision to come out to world can still help those of all ages, genders, races and beliefs who are teetering on the edge of depression and suicide.

Gordon's legacy as a pioneer for the LGBT in sports movement is just beginning to be written. How it'll read in five, 10 or even 50 years is anyone's guess.

Here's to a happy ending to Gordon's tale and the tale of a new generation of love and acceptance. Here's to an end to comment section indifference and hate. Here's to why this is a story.